To be irritated by this tea towel

[2017watchoutherewecome]

I just bought a couple of tala tea towels as they match the baking stuff that we use. When I unfolded the pack one of them is a woman holding a cake with the caption 'the joy of achievement '

Wtf are tala thinking? Women are measured by so much more than baking a bloody cake ffs and we don't need this kind of sexist claptrap.

You're overthinking it

Maybe she's a rubbish Baker and finally got the bloody cake to rise.

I feel a massive sense of achievement when I make a good cake.

I defiantly think you're over thinking it abit although I do see where you're coming from

Yeah, I guess I am overthinking it. I am in the mood for a rant though and they handed me the opportunity on a plate

Tala models itself on being quite retro, 40s 50s style bakeware so it kinda fits, back then a woman's place was apparently in the kitchen.

No it's irritating.

Retro, quaint sexism like this would be merely an amusing bit of history - if sexism wasn't still a huge, raging problem, the world over.

I feel achievement when I get a cake out of the tin in one piece. To me it is an achievement. As is completing a major civil engineering infrastructure project, which I probably do more frequently.

But a good cake is an achievement to me, I am not a fantastic baker by any means but when I make a cake that is good I am proud as punch!

Also I think tala do a retro brand thing 1940/50's vibe and I think the pictures/ tea towels are rather nice

...they handed me the opportunity on a plate

Perfectly baked and iced :)

I think yabu. Their whole aesthetic is retro kitsch, 50s style, although I take the point about sexism still being a huge worldwide problem.

And if it was a man holding a cake would it be any less sexist? Given he would specifically have been chosen for the picture because of his gender?

I would be quite impressed if I managed to make a cake

YABU to look down on bakery and cooking. If we are going to get past stereotypes, at some point we'll have to assume that making a cake is something that both men and women do - and yes, making a good cake is very satisfactory.

I'd be over the moon if I managed to bake a half decent cake! Of course it is an achievement.

It's pretty fucking sexist to assume that something that woman would have traditionally done is not worth being proud of. Feminism isn't just about allowing women to do worthwhile, ie 'men's things.' It's also about recognising that the things that woman have traditionally are equally worthwhile a pursuit. So fuck that, I'm just as proud when I make a good cake, knit or crochet a great looking item of clothing, clean my kitchen well or spend a great day being a mother as I am when I fix an electrical fault, replace my brake fluid, build a piece of furniture or toy, write a story or when I achieved career goals. It's all something to be proud of regardless of whether it's 'womanly' or not because cooking, cleaning and caring are all necessary parts of life. And as it's a tea towel for use in the kitchen it's quite a lot more fitting that it's about baking a cake than it is about changing a tyre.

That's a great answer Springer!

I see I'm not the first engineer on here to say that joy of producing a good cake is just as satisfying as the joy of engineering. I'm also proud of the crocheted snowflakes I made for Christmas decorations. All skills should be a source of personal satisfaction. Baking is a skill, why should we devalue it because more women have that skill than men?

Well, you are buying named tea towels!!!! nuff said

It is a great answer, but why does it need pointing out on a tea towel that sexist people will take seriously. If sexism wasn't such a problem still then I wouldn't have a problem with it.
Oh well, back to the kitchen as somebody needs to wash up

Frankly buying a tea towel because it matches your baking set sounds very 1950 housewife to me, the last tea towels I bought were from the textile museums Mind you, they weren't for me ,they were stunt tea towels for a friend with a very smart kitchen. I think most of my tea towels could probably trace their ancestry to the last century without difficulty.

'the joy of achievement '

Its a retro brand. Anyone buying it are probably buying it because of the retro designs. This is a retro styled image and caption, to match the brand.
If you don't like it, then don't use it - bin or send to charity shop.

However fwiw making a nice cake may well be a good achievement to many people, including women. Not everyone are good natural bakers. Or do you feel that all women should be able to make a good cake, just because they are female?

I'm so disappointed in this thread.

I thought the OP was going to produce a photo of a tea towel with the ends all frayed and a faded picture of Armageddon.

What sort of cake was it? A nice Victoria Sandwich oozing jam and cream, maybe? Chocolate with thick chocolate icing? Rich fruit cake? Mmm I feel hungry now. May have to make a cake!